Writers Conferences, Pro or Con?

Last week, my husband and I attended the SuperStars Writers Seminar in Salt Lake City. This was our second trip back to the conference. We attended it in Pasadena last year. I have to say that it has been one of the most valuable workshops that I've ever attended. It is three days of intense panels and discussions presented by six professional writers that make their living from writing, and no other outside job. It is focused on the business of writing, including agents, contracts, how publishing actually works, the risks and benefits of dealing with Hollywood, and how to keep it together and actually produce quality stories to sell to publishers.

I'm glad we attended. I picked up more from things I missed or didn't fully understand last year. I met new people, and reacquainted with those that I met last year. Kevin and I were not the only ones attending for the second time.

Kevin pitched a new story to our publisher. We write for the Grantville Gazette, and Eric Flint is the publisher. We talked over possible new story lines we want to pursue. When we did this last year, we sold the magazine a novella that they serialized in four issues. Hopefully we will have the same success with this one.

Now I'm home, and trying to get back into my writing routine. It hasn't been easy. I'm working on an Urban Fantasy, hopefully YA, and when I stopped, I was at the midpoint of the story, where Major Bad Things happen to my female protagonist. I'm having difficulty stepping back up to the plate and swinging the bat at her head. I know it has to be done because if there is no conflict, there is no story. But I like this girl, and it has been difficult to drop the anvil on her, metaphorically speaking.

I'm already planning for more conferences later this year. We are attending LTUE at BYU in February, and the LDStorymakers conference in April, CONduit in May, then Dragon*Con in August. I have to take time to purchase memberships, and make reservations in hotels, and airplanes. I have to plan when the money is available, and balance all that against getting the mundane bills paid.

I like attending conventions and conferences. I like associating with other writers, and I think I really need the feeling of shared creativity. I come away from them with a renewed excitement for writing, and enthusiasm for the time I spend with my keyboard. But I begin to wonder if there is a place where the conference, or the networking, or the marketing will finally overwhelm the actual writing. 

So far, this hasn't been a problem, but I'm looking at the future. Will there come a time that I have to struggle to have the time to write? I hope not. The truth is, I have never been happier in my life than I am now. I'm writing, and people read and buy things that I write. I get to travel, and spend special "just us" time with my husband. We collaborate on almost everything we write. I have never felt closer to him in the 23 years we've been married.

So, for now, I will continue to plan attendance at conferences, symposiums and conventions. And I will continue to write.